Portable tool holders



Feb. 2, 1960 E. N. BROWN PORTABLE TOOL HOLDERS Filed July 15. 195-? PORTABLE TOOL HOLDERS Edward N. Brown, Alhambra, Calif. Application July 15, 1957, Serial No. 672,043

2 Claims. (Cl. 211-65) This invention relates to tool holders in general and in particular to a tool holder that may be easily trans ported from place to place as in the garden or about the home or shop.

, Various forms of portable tool holders are well known in the prior art. However, such tool holders are heavy, cumbersome, and are such as to belie the term portable.

An object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a light-weight portable tool holder that may be utilized in the garden or may be moved easily from place to place.

A further object of my invention is to provide a portable tool holder having means for holding a plurality of handled tools as well as providing a tray or space for holding other types of tools, boxes of nails or screws, cans of paint, or other materials being used at the place of work.

Another object of my invention is to supply a portable tool holder constructed wholly of wire with a minimum number of separate wire forms used in the manufacture thereof.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear in the following drawing and specification wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the various views and wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of my portable tool holder.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a modification of the tool holder. 7

With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, my portable tool holder 10 comprises a basic rectangle of wire 11 which may be formed of a single length of wire with the ends suitably butt-welded, brazed, or otherwise secured together. Transverse open-ended wire forms 12 and 14 extend from one side of the rectangle to the other. Transverse wire forms 12 are employed at the ends of the rectangle and have two equal length, parallel legs 16 joined by a curved portion 18. Transverse wire forms 14 are used for the remainder. These wire forms 14 have two unequal length, parallel legs 20 and 22 joined by a curved portion 24. The transverse wire forms 12 and 14 are laid in parallel relationship to each other with alternate curved portions 18 and 24 extending outwardly from the sides 26 of the rectangle 11 and in coplanar relationship therewith. It is further to be noted that while the legs 16, 20, and 22 are parallel and equi distant from each other, they are so disposed in alternate relationship that a leg 20 lies on the median line of a curved portion 18 or 24 while the longer leg 22 protrudes outwardly from a side of the rectangle 11 equidistant from the median lines of two adjacent loops. The term loop is here defined as being that portion of a wire form 12 or 14 which includes a curved portion 18 or 24 and which extends outwardly or upwardly from a side 26 of rectangle 11.

These transverse wire forms 12 and 14 are first formed in one plane. They are then pressed into a flat-bottomed U shape with upwardly extending portions 28 and flat bottom portions 30. After being so formed, the loops are turned down outwardly to an approximate right angle to the upwardly extending portions 28 and the end of the longer legs 22 are likewise formed at right angles to the upwardly extending portion of the leg and extend outwardly from the rectangle 11 on the opposite side from its looped end. At all points where they touch, wire forms 12 and 14 are spotwelded or brazed to the rectangle 11. Thus the tray formed by the upwardly extending portions 28 and the horizontal bottom portions 30 of the wire forms 12 and 14 and the wire rectangle 11 is available for holding miscellaneous gear and tools, while the loops and the ends of the longer legs or pegs 22, protruding substantially horizontally an end or peg 22 could be used for holding pruning shears or pliers.

Longitudinal braces 32 are provided for holding the flat bottom portions 30 in position, as a generally strengthening means, and to further define the bottom of the tray portion.

Folding legs 34 are furnished for a means of supporting the tray portion. The braces 36 are provided to maintain the parallelism of the legs 34 as well as to strengthen them. When the legs 34 are turned upwardly, degrees from the position shown in Fig. l, the lower brace 36 at each end may be used as a handle for transporting the tool holder from place to place. As shown, legs 34 are provided with closed loops 38 for movably securing them to the ends of the rectangle 11. Legs 34 may be furnished with pointed ends 40 for sticking into the ground and thus preventing the tool holder from being knocked over.

In order to enlarge the scope of use of my portable tool holder, at modification thereof is illustrated in Fig. 3. Here the loops and ends 22 along one side of the rectangle have been bent upwardly in approximately the same plane as the upwardly extending portions 28. The two, now upwardly extending, end loops have been hung over two hooks 42 which are secured to or held by peg board 44. The loops and the ends 22 on the opposite side of the rectangle extend horizontally and can be used, as shown, to support one or more paint brushes 46 or any other tool or device adapted to be supported thereby. The tray portion is, of course, available for use to hold any desired material placed therein.

While the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 has been described as being adapted or formed from the tool holder shown in Fig. 1, it should be understood that either form may be supplied and transformed into the other at will by either bending the loops and ends 22 upwardly into the vertical position, as previously described, or bending the same parts downwardly to the horizontal position.

It should be particularly noted that my portable tool holder is formed entirely from wire and with a minimum number of wire forms and forming operations required to manufacture it. The result is a portable tool holder that is handy, of light weight, economically constructed, and can be sold for a very reasonable price. While I have shown two embodiments thereof, I do not intend to be limited thereby as many modifications may be made by those skilled in the art which still fall within the scope of the appended claims wherein, I claim:

1. A portable tool holder formed of wire comprising a dished rectangular tray portion and a pair of rotatable pointed leg structures secured at each end of said tray portion for supporting said tray portion horizontally above a lower generally horizontally extending ground l atented F eh. 2, 1960 surface as in a garden, said dished tray portion consisting of:

a horizontal rectangle ofilwire having two relatively long sides and two relatively shorterends; i m x q d n l ransi a x s d ta e l e ed l 'st L-=a. v said wire worms comprisin ga pair of une qual length parallel legs joined atone end by acurved portion the central portion'oi saidleg s being formed in a flat -bottbrned U-shap e for insertion between the sides of said rectanglel wit h' the curved p'ortion extending outwardly from? the side lof said rectangle to which. it secured and the longerlegdatth open end of said wire f o rm extending outwardly'fr orn the iother side of the rectangle; saiii'iwire forms being disposed so that one half of the curved portions extend from one side of said rectangle and" the other half extendsfroni th ejother side ot said rectangle; said outwardly extending longer legs being disposed'b'etween adjacent pairs of curved portions, said outwardlyextendedlongerlegs and said curved portions being, disposed horizontally on at least one side oi said rectangle whereby said horizontally extending curved portions form loops t and said horizontally extending a p1 ality of open, ended longer legs form pegs -for supporting tools vertically disposed therein. and thereon externally of said' tray portions; and i V said leg. structure comprising a pair of" pointedlegs rotafably secured" to Qtlie ends of said rectangle, each pa rno v e s at n end b jo d by pl ra itylqfi horizontal braces whereby when said legs are pointed downwardly, the tray portion will be firmly supported in v a substantially horizontal position, and when said legs are rotated upwardly, the horizontal braces can act as handles to transport said tool holder from one location to another. l

2. A portable tool holde'ras claimed in claim 1 further characterizcdfbyhaving the curved portions and longer leg ends along oneside of said rectangle extend vertically upward fromsaidrectangleside whereby said tray portion may be'horizontally suspended from a vertical wall surface, saidv wall having hookmembers coacting with said vertically extending curved members to hang ingly support the same therefrom. 1

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED-STATES PATENTS r Jons May 16,; 1893? Escaut Nevis, 1957] 

